


it was me who was discovered

by andrwmnyrd



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, andrew keeps a dictionary under his pillow, causing trouble and playing exy with little grubby hands, neil likes to torment kevin and so does andrew and they bond over it, no seth !!!!, the foxes squad friends since kids living in the same neighborhood!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-10 05:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14731202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrwmnyrd/pseuds/andrwmnyrd
Summary: He was definitely older than Andrew, and taller too. He scowled as he looked up to see the already narrowed green eyes staring at him. "You're the new kid," he said and Andrew felt a pang of annoyance to know that people were talking about him behind his back. "Do you play Exy?"in which the foxes are little kids that live in the same neighborhood and they grow up together. trouble, pranks, sappy losers, awkward homecoming parties and a sense of family guaranteed





	1. meeting

**Author's Note:**

> so! this is my take on the squad living in the same neighborhood and growing up as trouble kids. i plan on writing until they get into college, at least.
> 
> i'd like to give credits to [this post](http://jostenminyard.tumblr.com/post/174037180721/dont-you-just-live-for-childhood-best-friend) for the premise of childhood friends au! i really like this kind of au and reading it pushed me over the edge and made me think 'i definitely need to write one'
> 
>  
> 
> as you can see, i mentioned in the tags that there's not seth, and that's right, i absolutely cannot bother with writing him, it's bad enough i'll have to write aaron at some point lol but he plays an important plot point as you can imagine, so there's that
> 
> english isn't my first language, so if there's any major spelling error pleeeease let me know

If Andrew believed in such things as fate, he'd say that it was meant to be. 

He was six and sitting on the stairs leading to his new house. He's been here for two months, and he's never been outside. Joanna said he should go out and play today, giving him five dollars to buy some candies, not even looking up from her magazine. So he went outside to sit on the stairs, since he wasn't going to play with anyone and he didn't know where to buy candy. 

Joanna said that this neighborhood had some kids Andrew should hang out with. He didn’t know what 'hang out' meant yet, but he knew he didn't want anything to do with anyone. 

So there he was, sitting, five dollars in hand and nowhere to go. He sighed, hopping down from the stairs and deciding to walking around. Maybe he'd find a candy store or something. 

He had to memorize his path so he wouldn't get lost on the way back, and he was so concentrated he almost didn’t see the boy striding his way. Andrew stopped on his tracks and the kid stumbled sideways so they wouldn't bump. 

He was definitely older than Andrew, and taller too. He scowled as he looked up to see the already narrowed green eyes staring at him. "You're the new kid," he said and Andrew felt a pang of annoyance to know that people were talking about him behind his back. "Do you play Exy?" 

"No." He knows it's a sport and that's that. The boy stared at him with something akin to disappointment in his eyes. 

"Do you want to play it?" There was now a gleam of hope, and Andrew didn't like it, he felt like denying him, and so he did. 

"No." He almost snickered at how the boy's face fell. He was turning to resume his walk when he reconsidered. This kid lives here longer than Andrew has, so he probably knows his way. Andrew turned back and the kid's eyes widened, expecting. "Where is the candy store?" 

The boy had a scowl now, shaking his head and huffing. "You shouldn't eat sweets. Bad for health." He crossed his arms in front of him, jutting his chin forward and looking down on him, and Andrew wanted nothing more than punch his face. But he didn't. He just turned around to leave and search on his own. "Hey, wait!" Andrew stopped but didn't turn, waiting. "If- If I tell you, will you come to play Exy with us?" 

"No." He didn't know who he meant by 'us' and wasn’t interested. He resumed his walking. 

"Then- ugh, alright! Stop, I'll take you there. Just- just, don't hate me, okay? They said if I meet you first you'd surely hate me. I'll take you there, come." He crossed the streets, not even looking to see if Andrew was following and Andrew seriously considered ignoring him and going on his own, even walked a couple of steps, but – and he didn’t know why – decided to go with the arrogant boy. So he turned on his heels and crossed the streets, following him. 

_________________________

It wasn't too far away from where Andrew was before, but he'd never find it if he had continued the path he was going, that's for sure. The store wasn't big, but it had all sorts of candies and sweets and Andrew thought he wouldn't mind if his next house was a candy store, no sir. 

The boy – Andrew didn't know his name, and he wasn't going to ask – followed him around the store, a judgmental scowl on his face as Andrew sorted through some sour candies packages. 

Andrew went to the balcony, eyeing the various types of cakes and muffins, and decided on two chocolate muffins that looked good. 

"I don't want any," the boy said, confused, as Andrew took his muffins outside and sat on the stairs of the store. 

"Did not ask," Andrew replied, taking a bite of his muffin. Good, he thought as he swallowed. "Why are you still here?" 

"Look- what's your name? My name is Kevin." The boy – Kevin – said. Andrew considered not telling him just to be contrary, but it'd be a hassle and Kevin was annoying. 

"Andrew." 

"Okay. Why don't you want to play Exy?" Kevin asked as if it was the most offensive thing in the world. He didn't know Exy, he knew it was a boring sport, and he didn't plan on meeting other people because he knew he wasn't going to be here for long and he didn't trust anyone and he didn't even know why he was talking with Kevin right now. 

"I don't know how to play." 

"We'll teach you." 

"Who's 'we'?" Andrew's curiosity and distrust got the best of him. 

"My brother and our other friends, they play Exy too," Kevin rolled his eyes, "They said you'd hate me on sight and that I should let my brother talk with you first," he muttered. They weren't entirely wrong, Andrew supposes, but he doubts this brother of his would be much better, and he didn't want to know. 

Andrew did not know why he was telling him all of this, but he was now intrigued with said brother. He hummed, standing up and cleaning his pants from the crumbs. "I'm leaving," he said, not looking back. 

"Wait! Will- Will you play with us? We'll teach you on our backyard so you won't have to meet the other people just yet." Andrew stopped dead on his tracks. Did Kevin know his dislike on people or it was coincidence? As if reading his thoughts, he continued. "They can be overwhelming sometimes, Neil wasn't comfortable with them too at first." Andrew didn't know what point Kevin was trying to make and he didn't like it. And he didn't know what overwhelming meant. 

He crossed the street without looking back, ignoring Kevin calling him, If anything, walking faster back to his house. Temporary house. 

_________________________

Joanna wasn't on the living room when he came back, so Andrew hurried to his room so she wouldn't ask for the change of the sweets he bought. He retrieved his dictionary from under his pillow and searched until he found the word he was looking for – overwhelming. Once he got the hang of its meaning, he closed his dictionary and stared at the ceiling, wondering. 

Was Neil a kid from the system too? Would they get along? Why didn't he ask Kevin if there was a library nearby? 

But Andrew would never know, because he was never going to see Kevin again – or so he thought. 

Two weeks later and he was back in the system. Peter got a job opportunity on another state and didn't want to take Andrew, and Joanna said he was too much trouble. Debatable, since they didn't acknowledge his existence most of the time, but he didn't care. Higgins said he shouldn't worry because they'd definitely find a family for Andrew, and Andrew didn't like the glimmer of hope he felt, the fluttering on his stomach as he thought about having a real family, like the ones he'd see on the streets and the movies, one that would care about him and ask about his day and let him go to school and read books. 

_________________________

He was seven when he met Cass and Richard Spear, his new family. Coincidence enough, it was in the same neighborhood he's lived before, and he tsked when he realized that, remembering Kevin's insistence on making friends with him. 

"Is there a problem?" Cass asked with a genuine smile that Andrew didn't know what to make of it. 

"No." 

"Alright then, we already prepared your room for you. I wish you'd meet our other son, but he's away for the year and won't be back until late next year, but that's plenty of time to you settle in, isn't it?" Andrew nodded, looking around the house. The walls were a light yellow and everything in it screamed cozy. Andrew felt a fluttering in his stomach. 

"Shall we go to your room, son?" Richard said, patting his shoulders and guiding him up the stairs, Cass following behind. On the corridor they passed a closed door, and Richard explained, "That's your brother's room, this is yours." He pointed to the room next to the closed door and guided him through it. 

Andrew bit his lip, not sure of what he was feeling right now. There was a twin sized bed next to the light-yellow wall, with two pillows and white sheets, next to it was a bedside table with a lamp. Posters of games and movies hung on the wall around him and close to the window was a rustic brown study table, with a laptop. On the other side of the room was a bookshelf with a couple of children books Andrew was surely going to replace with better ones. His wardrobe was close to the door and one of the two doors were open, and when Andrew looked at it, he could see folded clean clothes. They bought new clothes for him, it wasn't hand-me-downs like he was used to. 

Andrew would pinch himself awake, but if it was a dream, he'd make the best of it. 

"What do you think, do you like it?" Cass asked as he stepped beside him, ruffling his hair. 

"Yes." He said, and then paused. "Thank you." 

"Oh!" She chuckled, shaking his head and ruffling his hair again. "No need to thank us, we're a family now and that's what a parent should do! Now, why don't you take a shower and come downstairs so you can help me with dinner, hm?" He nodded, unable to say anything else. "Do you need help with the shower?" He shook his head. "Wow, aren't you a smart boy! We'll leave it to you then, if you need any help don't be shy and ask for us, okay?" He nodded again and she nodded back, satisfied. 

After she left, Andrew went to examine the clothes they had bought. It wasn't too colorful, good. He found a strange piece. It was green with a brown circle and covered his whole body except for his hands, feet and head. There was only a zipper on his back, above something that looked like a small tail. Andrew was intrigued enough that he decided to wear it. He couldn't zip all the way up, and after taking a look on himself in the mirror, he realized it was a dinosaur clothing. 

He made a claw gesture with his hands and hissed at his reflection in the mirror. He nodded to himself. Scary enough. 

When he got downstairs, Richard was in the living room reading the newspaper and when he saw Andrew, he smiled and made thumbs up and then pointed to the kitchen, where Cass would be. He stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, waiting for her to turn. 

When she did, she stifled a laugh as she cooed, cleaning her hands on her apron as she knelt down and held both of his cheeks on her hands. "Aren't you a cute dinosaur? Here, let me help you." She turned him and helped to zip the rest of the clothing. 

"Not cute," he said, as he turned back. "Scary." He made the claw gesture and hissing again, causing Cass to laugh out loud, ruffling his hair. 

"Sorry, sorry. Scary indeed. Now, come here and help me with dinner, will you?" Andrew nodded and she picked him up, placing him seated on top of the balcony beside the sink. "Pass me the ingredients as I say, okay?" 

"Okay." 

It was a good night. 

_________________________

He startled awake with someone touching his hair, almost falling off the bed. When he calmed down, he saw Cass with widened eyes and hand frozen. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He still couldn't find his voice, so he nodded. "Just wanted to wake you up to let you know breakfast is ready." She smiled softly and left, closing the door behind her. 

Andrew sighed and flopped on the bed again, looking at the ceiling, his heart still beating fast. Before Cass, people would roughly wake him by grabbing his foot our slapping his back or head, he wasn't expecting... this. He preferred this way. 

He was still wearing his dinosaur clothing – onesie, Cass told him yesterday – so he changed and headed down the stairs, smelling pancakes. 

The table was in the kitchen, and when he got there he saw there was a smaller chair, probably for him, so before Cass could pick him up he climbed the chair and sat on it, looking at her smugly. She chuckled as she placed two pancakes on his plate. "Syrup?" He nodded, extending his hand. "So independent," 

They ate in a comfortable silence, Richard and Cass asking a couple of questions about himself and telling some stories about the neighborhood. "You lived in this neighborhood before, correct?" Cass asked. Andrew nodded, already imagining where this was going. "Did you make any friends?" 

No, he didn’t. He knew Kevin for a day and didn't plan on seeing him again, but he didn't want to say that to Cass, he didn't want her to think he was weird and send him away. So he nodded, and added, "Kevin." 

"Oh, Kevin?" She said, tilting her head. 

"Wymack's son," Richard supplied. "He adopted a kid last year, too." 

So Andrew was right, Kevin's brother was in the system before, and Kevin probably knew Andrew was too, since this neighborhood knew everything about everyone apparently. 

"Yes, that's right!" Cass nodded, "Wymack is great, all the kids love him. You'll like him too, Andrew." She smiled encouragingly. "Do you want to do anything today?" 

Andrew considered it. It was a sunny Saturday, it means there must be some kids playing outside. Would Kevin be there, too? He hopes not. "Candy store." 

"The sweets store nearby? Alright, I'll take you there later as I show you around." He nodded and resumed eating his pancakes. 

He spent the morning watching cartoons with Cass, and from time to time she'd sneak a hand up his hair to ruffle it. After lunch, she grabbed her purse and Andrew followed her outside. "Candy store it is!" She held out her hand, and after a moment Andrew grabbed it, and so they went. 

Cass told him about their old loud neighbors and her other son, Drake. He was an adult and from the marines, wouldn't be back until later this year for two weeks. She told him about how happy she is to have Andrew here and that they're a family now so Andrew shouldn't feel like an outsider. Andrew nodded, squeezing her hand, and she squeezed back. 

The store was like Andrew remembered it, and he didn't have to look around much, he wanted the chocolate muffin he ate months ago, and Cass bought him two, plus some sour candies and chocolate bars she saw him eyeing up when they arrived. 

They were on their way back, Cass was holding the grocery bag on one hand and Andrew's hand on the other, and when they turned on the corner of their street Cass almost bumped into Kevin and Andrew into someone else. 

When Kevin saw him his eyes widened, "Andrew?" 

"Kevin." He acknowledged, already wanting to move on, but then he noticed the boy beside Kevin. He was smaller than Andrew, not by much, but still a win. He was probably younger too. He had red hair and blue eyes that was staring between him and Kevin curiously. 

"This is my brother, Neil." He pointed to the boy next to him. The boy – Neil – waved weakly, and then buried his hands on his pockets. All Andrew did was raise his eyebrows in acknowledgement. "So," Kevin continued, "Have you thought about my offer yet? It's still up." 

Before Andrew could say no, Cass answered for him. "What offer, dear?" She smiled warmly at both of them, "My name is Cass Spear." 

"Hi, Ms. Spear." Kevin nodded. "I wanted Andrew to play Exy with us." 

"Oh, that's great! But isn't it a little bit dangerous?" 

"No, no. We'll teach him on our backyard the basics and Dad would supervise, he's a coach on a college team." He said, smugly. 

"Is that so?" Kevin nodded, smiling politely. "Then it's okay. You can go today, if you want to." 

"Really?" He was now buzzing with excitement and Neil stared at him comically. Andrew found it amusing. 

"Yes, just bring him back by six, okay?" 

"Yes, okay. Thank you." He stared at Andrew with something like defiance, and Andrew realized he's been set up. "So, will you come?" He rose one eyebrow, daringly. 

He looked up at Cass and saw that she was already looking at him, small smile encouraging him, and Andrew didn't want to upset her and make her send him away, this was the first place he could think of as home, he didn't want to let go. So he sighed and nodded. "Yes." 

"Great, have fun boys!" She said, letting go of his hand and ruffling his hair, patting Kevin on the head on her way. Andrew watched her until she got home. 

"Let's go," Kevin said, walking without looking to see if Andrew was following again. He scowled at his back and started walking, Neil falling in step beside him. 

"You know, you should be the goalkeeper." He almost missed it, because Neil said in an almost-whisper so Kevin wouldn't hear. Andrew considered ignoring him, but for some reason he wanted to indulge the boy. 

"Why?" He said, also in an almost-whisper. 

"Because it's the position where you need to move less," Andrew hummed in response. "And because Kevin doesn't really expect you to choose it." Now there was an evil glint on his eyes as he smiled mischievously at Andrew. 

He felt a flutter on his stomach and huffed a breath. Kevin turned, narrowing his eyes looking between them. "What?" Both of them shook their heads at the same time, which was funny too. 

They arrived at their house, Kevin got in first, waiting at the door for Andrew and Neil. 

"We're home!" Kevin yelled, closing the door behind them and walking down the corridor to the spacious living room. 

"Coming," A gruff voice answered, and Andrew heard footsteps descending the stairs. "The name's David. You must be Andrew," The man said, as he stopped on the final stair. 

"Must be." Kevin shook his head and Neil smiled. Andrew decided he enjoyed making Kevin angry and Neil smile. 

David narrowed his eyes at him and then huffed a breath, crossing his arms in front of him. "Another maggot with an attitude problem, just what I needed." Andrew shrugged. "Go outside, I'll be there in a sec," Kevin and Neil nodded as they walked through the house, Neil stopping a little to wait for Andrew. 

The backyard was also spacious, Andrew supposed. There were two small goals and a couple of racquets lying around, next to small cones and balls. 

"We can't play a normal game because the ball always ends up on Boyd's, our neighbor and friend, so we have to be careful when throwing." Kevin said, picking up a racquet and tossing it between his hands. "What do you know about Exy?" 

"Nothing. Just that it is a dumb sport." Both Kevin and Neil stared at him as if he was crazy. 

"Well, you're wrong, it's not dumb. It's good. Neil and I will play forever." Kevin said and Neil nodded. 

Neil and Kevin took turns on explaining him the basics, and at some point, David joined them, offering some tips and easy strategies for kids' scrimmages. Neil smiled at him again and Andrew knew what was coming. "So, you're starting as a backliner, because it's easier, right?" He tilted his head, feigning innocence, and Kevin nodded as if Neil had asked him. 

"Yes, he should start as backliner, so- what?" He said when Andrew shook his head. 

"I want to play as goalkeeper." Kevin frowned at him. 

"Why?" 

"Because." He looked at Neil and the boy was already looking at him with a small smile he was trying to cover with his hand. 

"You- ugh." Kevin threw his hands in the air as he stormed away. Neil looked at his brother's antics and tsked. 

"Is he always this dramatic?" Andrew asked and David huffed a laugh. 

"Yeah, you haven't seen anything yet." 

_________________________

They didn't have a goalkeeper racquet, Neil said it was bigger and heavier and that their friend Renee had one, because she played as a goalkeeper with them. "I can ask her to lend us her racquet if you want, so next time we can play properly," Neil said, holding his own racquet in his hands, demonstrating the instance. Andrew nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment at the prospect of a next time, of a future where he isn't sent away. 

He cleared his throat and Neil looked at him, blue eyes even bluer in the sun. "What is your position?" 

"Striker. Kevin too." Andrew hummed in response and then David whistled, saying to start a small practice. 

 

It was- fun. Andrew had fun. Being a goalkeeper was easy enough, all you had to do is block. They didn't have a proper goalkeeper gear, so Neil lent him his spare one because he was closer to Andrew's size. The concept of being a goalkeeper was easy, but it wasn't _easy._ Kevin and Neil clearly have been playing longer, and they knew better than Andrew, although Andrew could block some of the balls coming his way and he had fun doing it, seeing how frustrated Kevin became and Neil even laughed once. David too had a small smile on his lips while watching them. 

At some point David went back to the house, because at the end of the day he came back with hot-dogs, and Andrew realized he was starving. They stopped playing and Kevin frowned at the hot dogs, saying he was going to eat a fruit. Neil shrugged a grabbed one after cleaning his hands, and Andrew did too. 

They sat together on the steps, eating their hot dogs in silence, until Neil turned a bit to look at him, bending his leg under him and leaning on his hand propped by the step above them. "Did you like it? Exy?" 

"It's less boring than I thought. Just slightly," Andrew conceded and Neil scoffed, shaking his head. 

"Will you come back?" Neil was looking at him with a blank expression Andrew knew too well, not expecting anything but still hopeful. 

"I suppose," Andrew said, and Neil's face broke into a big smile, and Andrew decided too that he'd be ready to hurt anyone who makes Neil sad. He kind of understands what Kevin meant all those months ago when he said Neil should've been the one talking to him first. 

They talked for a bit more, Neil told him about the other people that play with them, Matt, Dan, Renee, Allison and Renee, and that sometimes the kids from the other neighborhood come to play with them, like Jeremy, Alvarez, Laila and Jean. Jean had moved in recently and he spoke French, which was awesome, and Kevin was planning on asking him to teach him and Neil, but Neil knew it would be hard because Jean didn't even speak much English to begin with, so it would be like a trade, French for English. 

He didn't even realize it was getting late, getting absorbed on the conversation with Neil. Kevin came to them, no longer a scowl on his face, "Your mom said you had to be back by six, so let's go." He turned, and then turned back. "You play good, you should come to our scrimmages on the local court with the rest of us tomorrow. Dad can ask your mom." He nodded to himself, then began walking, not even giving Andrew a chance to reply. 

They went back inside, Andrew feeling exhausted now that the adrenaline wearing off. He yawned, and Neil, who was looking at him, yawned too. 

"Kevin, come help with dinner," Wymack said from the kitchen. He looked at Neil and Andrew quickly and then looked back at Kevin. 

"I have to take Andrew back." 

"Neil, will you go on Kevin's place?" 

"Um- yes." Neil replied, confused, he looked at Andrew. "Let's go?" Andrew nodded and followed him. 

 

If anyone asked if Andrew was walking slower than normal so his time with Neil would last, he'd deny it. And if Neil realized that, he never mentioned. Instead, walking along with Andrew. 

"You're from the system," Andrew said after a moment, not really a question. 

"I- yes. Yeah." Neil replied, not looking at him. "You too," he said, not really a question too. 

"Yes." 

Neil hummed, and then a small smile formed on his lips. "So, you don't like Kevin?" He was looking at him now. 

"He's obnoxious." 

"Ob- obno- what?" Neil shook his head, "You say difficult words." 

"Do not," Andrew denied, even though his dictionary was under his pillow right now. "It means he's annoying." 

Neil snickered, nodding. 

The rest of the walk resumed on Neil telling him weird things he's seen Kevin do – he drools and snores, he sometimes asks David to peel his apple, he poses in front of the window pretending to be an Exy star. - and Andrew hummed occasionally amusedly, knowing that Neil was supplying him with endless blackmail. 

He arrived at his doorstep and Neil stopped beside him, looking at his house and then at him. "So I'll see you tomorrow?" 

Kevin wasn't here so there was no need to be contrary. "Yes." 

"Be ready at noon, okay? We'll pick you up, Wymack is going to call Ms. Spear tonight if he hasn't called already." Andrew noticed he didn't call David dad like Kevin had or called Cass his mom. 

"Okay." 

"Bye, Andrew," Neil waved firmly now, smiling at him and running his way back, and Andrew noticed he was quite fast. 

He looked at him until he couldn't anymore, and then began climbing the stairs to his home, feeling warm all over, thinking about tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the comments in the last chapter! i promise i'll answer them soon

It was getting close to noon and Andrew was restless. 

He enjoyed playing Exy with Neil and Kevin because it was them. He sort of knew Kevin before, and Neil was just one person, but he was about to meet more than one now.

He was sitting on the couch kicking the air absentmindedly when he heard the sound of the bell. He got up while Cass walked from the kitchen to the front door and opened it, revealing David and a woman Andrew had never seen before. 

They talked for a little and Andrew couldn't hear what they were saying, but then Cass turned and he took it as a cue to approach. 

"Oh, there you are! Ready?" Cass smiled down at him and stroked his hair. 

"Yes." Andrew stepped into view and the woman beside David beamed at him. 

"Hello, you must be Andrew! I'm Abby," Andrew nodded while looking around them and she must have noticed because she continued, "The others are already in the car, it's just you then we're off." she pointed to a big car in front of the house. 

"Oh, is that a minivan? How considerate of you!" 

"Yeah, since we're always going on mini-trips we figured we should get a bigger car to take the kids too," David looked at him and then continued. "So, shall we? Kevin spent the whole morning talking about you." 

Andrew looked at him and simply shrugged. "Okay." he looked up at Cass and nodded. "I'm going."

"That's alright, have fun, sweetheart." she leaned down to kiss his cheek and guided him out of the door. "And behave, you sir."

"We'll take good care of him," the woman - Abby - waved at Cass, and David had a weird look on his face while staring at Cass.

They walked to the big car - minivan, he heard Cass say - and Abby opened the back door. Andrew was surprised to see that the door didn't open, just slid sideways, but the surprise was replaced with dread as he saw unfamiliar people inside looking at him.

"Finally," a familiar voice said. "Get in."

Kevin was seated to the far window next to a boy he had never seen before. Andrew didn't see Neil anywhere and the dread only grew, but as if he had been reading his thoughts, his head suddenly appeared above the unfamiliar boy's seat.

"Hi," he smiled and motioned with his hand. "I saved us a seat back here." 

"More like fought for it," David huffed and motioned for Andrew to get in. It was cramped but he was small, so he had no problem squeezing through the space between the door and the seat. 

Neil was alone in the back and Andrew was relieved for that. He wanted to be close to the window, so he climbed over Neil and flopped down on the seat, back to the window and legs draped over Neil's. "Hi." 

"Sit properly, you buffoon," he almost couldn't finish his sentence because he started giggling and had to clamp his hand over his mouth. "Buffoon. I looked on a dictionary to learn difficult words too, now I'm as smart as you. You buffoon."

Andrew did not let show on his face he didn't know what buffoon meant.

"You are insufferable," he decided. Neil looked at loss for words, which meant he didn't know what insufferable meant, which meant Andrew won. "Guess I'm smarter."

"Yeah, you are, but do sit properly, so you don't fall," he waited a beat and then, "Buffoon." dissolved into giggles.

On the way to the local court, Neil whispered to him that the boy's name was Matt and the girl's name was Dan and that Renee and Allison would go together because Allison's father didn't like David and Renee and Allison were always together.

It didn't take long for them to get there. David parked the car and told them to get out. "I don't want to lose anyone, think you can manage to get from the parking lot into the court without getting lost, Matt?" 

"Yes, Coach!" Matt made a gesture with his hand on his forehead and stomped.

"Good, still don't trust you. Make a line and hold hands, everyone." Matt squealed and reached his hand to Neil, but Andrew was faster and took it first, scowling at the boy, who frowned at him. "Neil, Andrew, I want you here with me since you're the smallest." David had the weird face again, but now he didn't look upset, just amused. 

Neil didn't appear bothered, he squeezed Andrew's hand and led him close to David. 

"Hey," Kevin said behind to him, he was holding Matt's hand and the other one was extending to him. "Hold my hand."

"No," Kevin frowned and shook his hand at his face. "My hands are busy." 

"You're only using one!"

"You're wrong," he pulled a giggling Neil close and held his other hand, now they were in front of each other and facing Kevin. "I am using both."

"Dad! Andrew doesn't want to hold my hand!" Kevin yelled, and Andrew saw that Abby was laughing behind David.

"Let him be, Kevin. Let's go." David led them into the big building, Abby was beside him, then Neil, then Andrew, then Kevin, then Matt, then Dan. "The kids from high school are using the court right now, so stick close and be careful, understand?" 

All of them except Andrew answered 'yes Coach', and then David opened the doors to a room - locker room, Neil whispered - and there were two girls with a man there.

"Mr Reynolds." David nodded and went to talk to the man in a low voice, while the girls approached them. 

"Hello! Hi, Dan!" the blonde one said, hugging Dan and jumping in circles. The other girl hugged Dan and waved at Neil and Andrew. "So," she stopped jumping and zeroed in on Andrew, walking to him - she was much taller than him - and pointing at his face. "Do you hate Kevin?"

Andrew remembered what Kevin said, that his friend thought Andrew would hate Kevin. "No," even Kevin seemed surprised with his response, but recovered quickly and yelled 'aha!' and pointed at Allison and Dan. "He's just annoying."

There was a silence, and then all of them burst into laughter, except Kevin, who stomped to his father. David nodded to the man he was talking, who looked at Allison, sighed and then left. "What, Kevin?" 

"Let's play." 

"Yes, yes," David also sighed and then turned and walked back to them. "So, as you know this is Andrew and he's going to be playing with you from now. He's a goalie. Renee, can you lend him your racquet?" The girl nodded enthusiastically and smiled at Andrew, motioning for him to follow her. "Good. Gear up, people!"

Neil lent him his gear and Renee helped with parts of hers. She wasn't bad, they talked about how one day kangaroos might dominate the world. They really would, Andrew believed.

Kevin circled him and adjusted parts of his gear until Andrew slapped his hands away.

 

Like David said, the there were older kids on the Court, but they weren't using all of it so David guided them into the other side and placed cones on the middle so it would divide them. 

"Gather up, maggots, we'll take it easy today. The most important thing is to do stretches, so you don't hurt yourself during practice, because if you do, Abby will beat me up." He pointed at the stands and Abby was there, nodding solemnly but smiling. "So, let's get started."

David showed them proper forms to stretch and wanted them to run around their side of the court. Andrew didn't like it but Neil seemed to enjoy running and Andrew enjoyed Neil's presence so he ran along. 

After stretching, David said he should observe Renee because it would be better for his 'learning process'. He walked to David and paid attention as the practice went on, with the older man sometimes explaining things to him.

Andrew thought he would be uncomfortable about being around so many strangers, but he realized he didn't feel that way. They didn't gather around him and they didn't ask many questions, only about where he lived and if he wanted to come over and play games sometimes. He didn't, and they stopped asking when he stopped answering.

 

Andrew had a good memory so after listening to David - to Coach - and watching Renee, he felt ready to try the goal. The racquet was bigger, heavier and he had trouble adjusting, it hurt his wrists so he tried swinging for a bit and then nodded to David, who was watching him intently.

The practice wasn't bad, the ball sometimes didn't make it all the way to the goal because Matt was a backliner and that was his job, and he was good at it. Kevin had said before that in a real game there should be two backliners and Allison was a defensive dealer, but she can play as an extra backliner.

He was getting better at blocking Neil, and it was fun because when he did, Neil would show his tongue or huff. It was harder with Kevin though, and his wrists were starting to ache from all the movement.

 

At the end of the day he knew everything about everyone. After practice, David took them back to his home and made hot dogs again, and everyone sat on the floor of the living room presenting themselves to him, telling stories about their adventures that Andrew was surprised to realize he wanted to be a part of. 

Kevin excused himself to go to sleep because he had school the next day, and after a few minutes Matt left with Dan, Allison and Renee, and soon it was only Neil and Andrew sitting on the floor against the couch.

"Don't you go to school?" Andrew asked.

"No, I'm six," showed his hands and pointed to his fingers. "But my birthday is in January, so I'll start next year. Do you?"

"I'll start this year, Cass says I shouldn't wait." 

"I didn't want to go to school because people - they ask too much and they talk too much, I don't like it, you know?" Andrew knew what he was talking about and what he was asking. They were both from the system, and they grew up to be wary of new people, crowded spaces, and adults.

"I know," Andrew said. "What changed?"

"It's just- I like my friends, I really do, and they all go to school too, but I don't know, they don't always understand I just want to be left alone or that I'm okay with just listening," he was pouting now, gesturing with his hands. "I don't want them to be upset with me because of that, so I didn't want to go to school at first because they're all there and they'd realize I'm not like them."

"But you do understand, right?" Andrew nodded. "You do, so I think I'd be fine to go to school. With you." 

"Oh," Andrew didn't know what to say. "Okay."

After that, they did a presenting on their own, telling little facts about themselves they didn't want anyone else to know, but Andrew wanted Neil to know, and Neil seemed like he wanted Andrew to know too. 

His favorite color was grey, he liked cats, he's been in the system since he was born, he's been in three foster families before David, he didn't remember any of them being good, David taught him how to read, he didn't like centipedes and cockroaches.

They agreed on movies and disagreed on food for a while until, Abby and David came down the stairs, pausing when looking at them. David gave Abby a nod and approached them. 

"Neil, aren't you tired?" Abby asked.

"No," then he yawned. "Yes, but I'll take Andrew home first." He started getting up but David put a hand on his shoulders.

"No need, I'll take him. Is that alright?" David was now looking at him. It wasn't alright, but Neil was tired, so he nodded. "See? Go take a shower, I'll take him."

Andrew got up and Neil looked at him, he nodded slightly to show it was okay. Neil nodded back and squeezed his arms, whispering 'bye'.

 

They were walking down the street for a few moments until David broke the silence by being weird, "So, how do you like it with Cass?"

"It's good."

"Have you met anyone else in the family apart from Cass and Richard?" David was looking at him now and Andrew was uncomfortable.

"No," he wanted David to stop looking at him like that, so he continued. "They have another son but he's not coming back until late this year." David sighed and it looked as if he was relieved.

"So you haven't met him yet?"

"No."

David nodded and the rest of the walk was in silence, and Andrew walked a little faster because he didn't want to be near him anymore. 

They reached the house and Andrew rang the bell. A few moments later Cass opened the door, beaming at him. She thanked David and before he could get in, "Take care, alright?" David says, and Andrew looked at him and David had that weird face again, so he nodded and got inside.

During dinner, he told Cass and Richard a little about his day and the people he met. He didn't talk about David and his weird questions because he didn't understand it himself. He asked if he could have a racquet and gear because he was borrowing from Neil and Renee, and they said they'd buy for him along with school supplies.

On the bed, looking up at the ceiling, Andrew's thoughts spiralled around Exy, Neil, school, and David's weird questions. None of that made sense, so he gave up. He reached for his dictionary - the only thing that made sense right now - and searched for the word 'buffoon'. He smiled after reading the meaning and went to sleep, tomorrow he'd come up with a better name for Neil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what does wymack know :O  
> it was a small chapter compared to the first one, i know. this one is more of a bridge-chapter of sorts, i think we'll have one or two chapters of 7-year-old andrew then we'll start with some time jumps 
> 
> also i've been trying to keep the writing as simple and easy as i could, given andrew's seven-year-old mind, so let me know what you think so far? 
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://adrwmnyrd.tumblr.com)


	3. hide and seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is I  
> sorry, i planned on posting earlier but voltron happened it slipped out of my mind and hhhhh

"Now, smile for the camera, will you?" she holds a camera in her hands, pointing at him. Andrew doesn't smile, he hisses and shows his claws. Cass laughs and shows him the picture - he looks dangerous enough. "Now then, what did I tell you?"

He stars counting on his fingers. "Behave, no yelling, no staying up till late night, don't be troublesome."

"That's right, but most of all, have fun!" She cheers and Andrew nods.

Right now he was in front of David's door, his friends - that's right, _friends_ \- suggested a sleepover, Matt said he'd bring his two Harry Potter movies. Andrew has never seen it before.

Cass rings the bell and in a few moments, the door swings open revealing Kevin. "Hi," he nods to Cass, "We were waiting for you."

"Okay then, just wanted to drop him off. Be good, okay?" Andrew nods and she waves, walking away and leaving just the two boys. 

"Come on." Kevin stands beside the door to Andrew get inside.

Andrew notices that the couches were moved to give more space and the table was nowhere in sight. The floor in the living room was covered in blankets, pillows and two mattresses. 

"Hey!" Kevin exclaims, stomping to a mattress. "It's mine!" Dan, Renee and Allison were seated on it, Matt was covered in a blanket with his head in the mattress and the rest of the body on the floor.

"Coach said we have to share," Allison says. Andrew's attention was snatched to the kitchen, David was there with Abby and a woman Andrew has never seen before.

She had brown hair and was wearing glasses, laughing at something Abby was saying. David wasn't even paying attention to what was going on, so he thinks Allison was probably lying, not that he cares.

He looks at the other mattress and- Neil was there. He was actually sprawled on the mattress, face-down.

Andrew approaches him and nudges his side with his toe. Neil grunts and turns his face, looking up at him. When he sees it's Andrew, a smile takes place on his face. "Oh, it's you," he stretches for a few moments and then sits, leaving plenty of space for him.

"Hi," Andrew takes off his backpack and places it on the couch, then sit down next to Neil.

"Hi, I saved us a place here," He gestures to the mattress. "They tried to sit here, but I said I died of old age and they left me alone." 

Neil wasn't his normal self and Andrew didn't know why. He kept trying to see above the couch and biting his thumb. "What?" he finally asks. Neil motions for him to follow and they get on the couch, hiding in the backseat with just their eyes above it.

"You see that woman there? Her name is Betsy Dobson." Neil points to the woman Andrew haven't seen before.

"You don't like her?" 

"Shes a psy- psychiatrist," Neil stumbles on the word. "and our other neighbour. Sometimes David makes me talk with her all alone!" He's half-whispering now, distressed. "She asks so many questions I don't want to answer and talk about things I don't want to talk about. It's a nightmare." he shudders.

"And I don't talk with her, I never do, but I don't like when David makes me do it because he gets that disappointed face when I don't talk. I just want to be left alone." He huffs and flops down on the couch. "I don't like when David's upset. I'm scared he'll realize I'm not normal and send me back."

He rolls over and falls face-first into the couch. Andrew looks to the kitchen and Betsy is already looking at him, a small smile on her face and- it's weird. He feels weird and he can't stop looking and _she can't stop looking at him like that._

Neil starts pulling at his ankles and Andrew lets him, and when Neil gives a rather strong pull, Andrew falls on top of him with his butt on his stomach. Neil half-shrieks and starts laughing, trying to shake him off.

"You pulled too hard, I can't feel my feet anymore, I can't move," Andrew drawls, sinking into Neil's stomach.

"Andrew, Andrew! I'm gonna pee, stop, stop!" Neil half-screams, half-laughs. Andrew puts a hand on his mouth and giggles, moving off Neil, who gets up and runs up the stairs, shouting "Pee, pee, pee".

"No running!" David says, but he's smiling at his antics.

 

Neil comes down a few moments later, his face still red and he's clutching his stomach. He flops down beside him and sighs loudly. "I thought I was gonna die."

"You can't die from laughter, that's stupid."

"Can, too," before Andrew can say that no, can not, Neil continues. "Hey, Matt, do you agree with me?" 

Matt wasn't even paying attention to them, engrossed in his conversation with the others about Exy, but when Neil repeats out loud he looks their way. "Huh? Yes, totally, Ne!" His smile was blinding.

"See?" Neil looks at Andrew. "You're wrong."

"He didn't even hear the question, you just asked him to agree with you."

"He heard us!"

"Did not."

"Did, too."

"Did not."

"Did- oh, _oh. She's coming, _Andrew, Andrew help!" Neil starts pulling frantically his shirt until Andrew turns his back on him. "Don't let her take me, hide, hide!"__

__Neil hunches over on his back gripping his shirt, hiding. At the same time, Betsy Dobson walks around the couch, stopping by the other mattress and talking with their friends._ _

__"What's she doing?" Neil whispers, trying to move his head. Andrew moves his hand behind him and holds Neil in place._ _

__"She's talking to the others," he whispers back, moving his head slightly to the side. Betsy suddenly looks their way and bit her lip, like she was trying not to laugh. "I think she saw us, stay put." Neil freezes but continues holding Andrew's shirt._ _

__Betsy then smiles and turns around, facing them. "Hi there, you," she waves as she approaches. "I don't think we've ever met before. My name's Betsy, but you can call me whatever you want."_ _

__Andrew thinks for a while, and when he looks at her striped yellow shirt, he gets an idea. "Bee," he said. Betsy - _Bee_ looks surprised for a moment but then laughs. "I'm Andrew."_ _

__Andrew wonders if he should scare her off, showing his dangerous face. Cass said his fangs were looking sharp, so Bee would probably run if he did. But she didn't do anything suspicious yet, so he'll stay alert for now._ _

__"So..." she begins, and Andrew notices she's biting her lip again. "Have you seen Neil around?" There's a glint in her eyes and Andrew feels that weird thing again, like his heart was trying to fly._ _

__"Neil died eight years ago," he says, shrugging. Bee does laugh now, throwing her head back and hey, another discovery: Andrew also likes to make Bee laugh._ _

__"Andrew, I'm six!" Neil whispers, tugging at his shirt. Andrew turns his head and shushes him._ _

__"I know what I am doing."_ _

__"Talking alone, Andrew?" Bee asks, tilting her head and smiling._ _

__"Yes. I do that sometimes."_ _

__"That's nice. So Neil died eight years ago, you say?" Andrew nods. "I swear I saw him today, though. Are you sure?"_ _

__"Yes. That would be his twin- no, his ghost. His _ghost._ " Andrew nods to himself, making up the story as he goes. "He... he could not die properly, so he turned into a ghost instead because he's so annoying." Neil pinches him. _ _

__"Oh, I see. That makes sense, then." Bee nods, smiling so widely Andrew thought her cheeks might be hurting. "I wish I could talk with him..."_ _

__"Nope." he pops the 'p', something he's seen Neil do before. Bee sighs deeply. "But I can. Talk. With you. If you want. Sometimes." He didn't know why he said that, but he means it._ _

__And if Andrew thought she was smiling widely before, that was nothing compared to now._ _

__"Oh, Andrew, that would be great!" Neil was oddly silent on his back, not moving or tugging his shirt. "I was going to ask you about that actually, but I won't hog all your time with that, we can chat later, alright?" Andrew nods. "Now, have fun, all of you. If you see Neil's ghost around, send my regards."_ _

__She waves at him and turns around, walking by the other mattress and saying goodbye to his friends. When she passes David, who Andrew noticed was watching the whole thing, she says, "you were right," and after hugging Abby, she leaves._ _

__"You're clear," Andrew says, like he's seen people say in movies before._ _

__Neil flops sideways, sighing loudly. "Thank you."_ _

__"She had no idea you were here all this time," Andrew says, smugly._ _

__"Yes! You were amazing." Neil was smiling and there was no trace of the wariness from before._ _

__"I will protect you from now on." He decides, looking seriously down at Neil._ _

__"Really?"_ _

__"Really."_ _

__Neil crawls in front of Andrew and sits up, staring at him and offering his pinky finger. Andrew stares at it in confusion. "Give me your hand," Andrew obliges and Neil selects his pinky finger, interlocking with his own. "This is a pinky promise, it's unbreakable and the most serious promise in the whole universe."_ _

__Andrew nods solemnly and squeezes his pinky. "Okay."_ _

__"Promise?"_ _

__"Promise."_ _

__

__

__After some time they join the conversation with the others, talking about school and which classes they like the most._ _

__"Alright, wizardry time!" Matt exclaims, all of a sudden, and Dan and Allison cheers. "Coach, put it on, please! And turn off the lights!" David was in the kitchen, but he and Abby come to the living room._ _

__"Alright, alright."_ _

__

__In the middle of the second movie, Andrew realizes Neil is asleep. They're sitting on the mattress with their back on the couch, and Andrew notices Neil's head keeps wobbling until it flops on his shoulders and stays. He thinks about waking him up, the movie is _so_ good, but decides to let him sleep._ _

__The movies are so fun and so full of magic. If everything goes right, he's going to be receiving his letter in a few years. He wonders if Neil is going to receive his. If he doesn't, Andrew would have to leave Hogwarts and come back, because he made a pinky promise and it was the most serious promise in the whole universe._ _

__After the second movie ends, Kevin gets up and turn the lights on. Neil shifts and freezes for a moment, and then lifts his head. "Sorry." he looks sheepish._ _

__"It's okay." And it is. "You lost half of the last movie though."_ _

__"Ah, I've already seen it. Matt wanted us to watch again because you said you haven't seen it and we wanted you to watch it, did you like it?"_ _

__"Yeah, Andrew, did you like it?" Matt asks. Andrew nods. "Nice!"_ _

__They all get up, put the two mattresses together and sit on it in a circle._ _

__"Now, time for the important talk," Dan begins. "What house do you think you are going to be in?"_ _

"Gryffindor," Matt answers barely after Dan finishes. "That's where _all_ heroes go!" 

__"Not all heroes," Kevin mutters. "I bet there are some Slytherin heroes too."_ _

__"Are you crazy? That's impossible! All Slytherins are bad."_ _

__"I agree with Kevin, I'm a Slytherin too," Neil says._ _

__"Oh," Matt looks thoughtful for a second. "You're right, you're the Slytherin hero, Ne!"_ _

__"What about me?" Kevin is pouting and Andrew thinks that's funny._ _

__"You're a hero too, Kev." Neil gives him a thumb up. Kevin's eyes widen and he smiles. "We're going to be Quidditch champions."_ _

__"Yes!"_ _

__"Not really, I will definitely beat you, just like Harry did," Matt says, Dan and Allison agree with him._ _

__"Nuh uh," Neil says and then looks at Andrew. "What about you? What do you think you are?"_ _

__Andrew thinks back to the song the Sorting Hat sang. "Hufflepuff."_ _

__"Really?" Kevin huffs. "Why?"_ _

__Andrew scowls and him and says, "Because."_ _

__"I think I'm a Hufflepuff too," Renee says, smiling at Andrew._ _

__"Now that we know the houses," Allison begins. "Let's talk about animals we're going to take!"_ _

__"Cats," Andrew and Neil say at the same time. Neil looks at Andrew in surprise and laughs, Andrew smiles at him._ _

__"That's so hard!" Matt groans. "I wish I could have all of them."_ _

__"I'll have an owl because I've never seen one before," Dan says._ _

__"Me too," Allison agrees. "But I really want a kitty."_ _

__"We can play with Neil's and Andrew's cats," Renee suggests._ _

__"True!"_ _

__"I have plenty of years to decide so I won't choose for now. Maybe a toad!"_ _

__Andrew tried to tell them no one is going to touch his cat - only Neil and maybe Renee - but his voice was drowned out by Matt's monologue._ _

__"We should play Exy," Kevin says all of a sudden. "There's enough of us."_ _

__"First of all: no! Second: Your backyard isn't that big for a game with all of us." Allison says._ _

__"Maybe Dad would let us play outside for a bit..." Kevin begins and Neil nods._ _

__Dan and Allison start complaining that it is no time for Exy and Matt says he's too full. Andrew secretly agrees with them._ _

__Neil looks at him with big eyes and a pout. Andrew frowns and turns his face away with his hand. "Stop that." Neil sighs defeatedly. Andrew did not like it._ _

__"We could play something else," he says, interrupting the fight between Kevin and the others. "Hide and seek."_ _

__"Oh, _oh_! Yeah, let's do it!" Matt says, already standing up, kicking the blankets off and Dan also stands up. Allison and Renee stand up together, holding hands. Andrew noticed they're always holding hands or with their arms linked for some reason._ _

__Andrew and Neil stand up as well and Kevin is the last one, standing up reluctantly. "You're going to count." Andrew decides, pointing at Kevin._ _

" _What_?! Why?" 

__"Because."_ _

__"That can't be your answer for everything."_ _

__"Because this is your house, then."_ _

__"Then why can't Neil count? It's his house too!" Kevin looks at him challenging._ _

__Andrew pulls a giggling-Neil behind him and says, "Neil died eight years ago."_ _

__Kevin stares at him with a stupid face for a few seconds while everyone else laughed. Then he sits down and starts counting loudly. "One, two, three..."_ _

__Matt squeals and starts running around, Allison and Renee climb the stairs together and Andrew can hear David and Abby chiding them for running._ _

__"Let's go!" Neil whispers, grabbing Andrew's hand and leading him to the backyard, then he let go of his hand and runs to the tree with a swing close to the fence. "We can climb it, we'll never be found!"_ _

__Andrew approaches the tree and stands beside Neil; it's not that big - it has a swing - but he still doesn't like it. He's afraid of heights and he says so._ _

__"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I forgot," Neil says. He bites his lip and thinks for a moment. "We could try, you go first and I'll be below you. If you want. I won't let you fall."_ _

__Andrew thinks for a moment and then nods, offering his pinky finger. Neil smiles and, extending his pinky, interlaces and squeezes his._ _

__Andrew steps in front of the tree and takes a deep breath. He can do this, Neil won't let him fall._ _

__He places his hands on the sides - it really isn't that large from down there - and starts climbing. He's slow, always checking where to place his feet and never once does Neil rushes him even though they can hear Kevin getting close to one hundred. He slips once or twice but Neil is right below to steady him._ _

__Andrew reaches the top and notices that the trunk parts in the middle, leaving an open space for them. He sits and leans on the trunk, giving space for Neil to climb in._ _

__It's spacious enough for the two of them to sit in front of each other. Neil places both of his legs on top of Andrew's thigh. Andrew didn't want to do the same because then he would have nothing to balance him, so he keeps his legs at the sides of the tree; there were low branches, so he didn't think Kevin would be able to see his leg._ _

__He feels jittery - he knows it's not that high, that Neil promised him, but he can't help thinking about falling. He feels his hands tremble and tries to look down, but Neil squeezes his sides with his legs. "Don't look down."_ _

__Andrew nods but can't trust himself to talk yet, so Neil keeps going. "This is my secret spot, did you know? No one ever come up, they don't even know I climb here. This can be our spot though, since you're here. Do you want it to be our spot?" Andrew nods again._ _

__"Okay, so you can't tell anyone, ever! If you can't find me anywhere, I'll be here. And if I can't find you anywhere, I'll look here first."_ _

__"Okay." Andrew finally says._ _

__Neil keeps talking and Andrew is grateful for him. He tells stories about Kevin and Matt, how he met Renee and Allison._ _

"Where _are_ they?!" Kevin exclaims. Neil stops talking suddenly and looks at Andrew, alarmed. Then, he puts a hand on his mouth to suppress a laugh. 

__"Maybe they've gone outside?" Dan says_ _

__"Then it would be impossible to find them! I didn't hear a door closing, they're definitely inside, but where?"_ _

__"I think it's only us left," Neil whispers. Andrew nods - they've won._ _

__"Let's look in the second floor again, maybe they're hidden on Coach's room," Renee says._ _

__They can hear the voices getting far away, so Neil untangles his legs from Andrew and leans down as far as he can. "Okay, they're gone. I'm gonna climb down first."_ _

__He climbs down fast and then motions for Andrew. He takes a deep breath and starts climbing down. He worries about Kevin suddenly appearing but he can't climb down any faster._ _

__When he's halfway through, he slips and thinks _that's it_ , but he falls into Neil and he holds him, his arms under Andrew's. "See? I got you." He sighs of relief and smiles._ _

__Andrew holds his hand and they walk quietly through the back door - good thing Kevin let it open. They tiptoe their way into the living room and sit on their mattress like kings._ _

__He can hear the voices getting closer and closer and then stop suddenly. They saw them._ _

" _What_?!" Kevin yells. "Where were you?!" 

__"Hiding, duh." Neil says, making an L with his hand and placing it on his forehead._ _

__"Yeah, but where?"_ _

__"It's top secret," Andrew says. "You will never find out."_ _

__

__

__They all take turns on showering and then gather in the living room._ _

__"Now, you little maggots, it's time to sleep, no more messing around and games, alright?" David says and everyone replies with "yes, Coach"._ _

__They all spread through the living room. Kevin on his mattress with Dan, Matt sprawled close to the TV, Allison and Renee sharing a blanket and with their heads on the mattress close to Dan's and Kevin's heads._ _

__Neil and Andrew are sharing the other mattress, Andrew with his back to the couch._ _

__"I have an idea," Neil says and stands up, passing David and going up the stairs. He comes back moments later with a big pillow - Andrew has never seen a pillow like that. "Make way for the kings."_ _

__He flops down on their mattress and places the pillow beside him, separating him and Andrew from the others. Matt and Allison start booing them. "You cheated!"_ _

__"You just were not fit to find the kings," Andrew says, matter-of-factly._ _

__"Blah, blah, blah."_ _

__"Alright, alright. Go to sleep, kings and common people." David says, shaking his head and smiling. He turns off the light and heads for the stairs. "Good night."_ _

__"Good night, Coach!"_ _

__Neil yawns and turns to face Andrew, the blanket up to his chin. "Hi."_ _

__"Go to sleep," he whispers back. "Hi."_ _

__"Not sleepy. Look," he brings one of his hand from under the pillow and Andrew can't see what he's holding, but then there's a white light and he realizes Neil is holding a small flashlight. "Now we can talk."_ _

__Neil picks the blanket and throws it above them, covering them completely. "Let's trade ghost stories."_ _

__"I don't have any."_ _

__"Me neither. What do we do?"_ _

__"Hm," Andrew drawls and then is hit with an idea. He gets out from their cocoon and searches for his backpack that's on the couch. He finds his dictionary and gets back inside the cocoon. "This is my dictionary. We could learn cuss words for Kevin."_ _

__Neil gasps and nods furiously. "Let's do that."_ _

__He turns on his stomach and Neil does the same. The dictionary is between them and Neil holds the small flashlight, lighting up the pages._ _

__

__

__He doesn't know how many time has passed, but now he's sleepy and with his brain full of synonyms for stupid. "Let's sleep," Neil says, mid-yawn._ _

__"Let's." He places the dictionary under his pillow and Neil places the flashlight under his._ _

__He turns his back to the couch again and is almost asleep when he hears Neil's voice._ _

__"Hmmkay," he yawns again. "G'night, 'Drew."_ _

__"G'night."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooooooooo yeah ,,,
> 
> i dont know if i did a good job on describing the tree but what i had in mind was like [this](http://etc.usf.edu/clippix/pix/amur-cork-tree-trunk_medium.jpg) but bigger in the middle area where they were seated !! and the pillow neil brought was like [this](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/6195SS5ApAL._SL1500_.jpg) kshjgdshsds
> 
> betsy!!! there she is!! you know how the baby can recognize their mothers voice from the womb and it soothes them? yea :B  
> in the next chapter there'll be some plots wrapping and time jumps~ FeelingsTM ensured
> 
> as usual, let me know what you think so far if you want to! thank you for all the kind comments, i read them to my mom and she loves them too!!
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://adrwmnyrd.tumblr.com)


	4. promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  
> sorry for the delay, voltron & the world cup is taking all of my time oof  
> at the very end you'll see the writing changes for wymack's pov, you'll know when u see it

They spent the next day playing around the house, even Abby joins them at some point because no one wants to count so she volunteers to count while they all hide. 

Andrew and Neil go to their secret spot and they're the last to be found again, this time Andrew is less scared of climbing the tree and he could talk with Neil while up there about what he's looking forward to learn in school.

After eating fries for lunch (and ignoring Kevin's annoying talk about health) they settle in the living room and wait for Allison’s father, because he's taking her and Renee back.

"Kevin and Dan sitting in a tree," Allison starts all of a sudden, as if she just remembered something. Kevin gasps and Dan squeals, throwing a cushion at her. "K i s s i n g!"

"Ew, stop!" Dan points a finger to her mouth. "Bleh!"

Allison and Renee giggle to each other as if they had planned to do this. Andrew can understand Dan's reaction though.

"I'm not marrying a boy. They smell," Dan declares. Neil frowns and starts sniffing his arm, and Dan notices. "Not you, Neil!"

"So you want to marry me?" Neil asks with wide eyes.

"No!"

"Well good because he's marrying me, right, Ne?" Matt asks.

"What?" Neil looks between Matt and Dan with a confused face. "Why?"

"Because you're my best friend and my mom said you marry someone you like very much and I like you very much," Matt says, shrugging.

"Then I'm marrying Renee," Allison announces. "Okay?" she looks at Renee.

"Yeah," Renee nods and they cheer.

"This is silly," Neil says, frowning. "What if I have two best friends? You can't marry two people." 

"You can't have two best friends! It's against the rules."

"What rules?" Andrew intervenes.

"The rules of best friends, duh."

"My best friend is Jean," Kevin says, thoughtful. "And Jeremy."

"See?" Neil points at him.

"That's impossible," Matt declares at the same time David arrives.

"What's so impossible?" He says while sitting down on the couch across them.

"To have two best friends!" Matt, Kevin and Neil say at the same time.

"And why is it impossible?"

"Because you can't marry two people!"

David blinks in surprise and stares at them for a few moments, then sighs. He runs his hand through his hair and huffs a laugh. "Aren't you losers all too young to be talking about marriage?" He quirks an eyebrow.

"I'm eight," Matt says. "Only ten years and I'll be old enough to get married."

"Oh, and you're gonna get married as soon as you turn eighteen?"

"Isn't it how it is?" Matt asks, confused now.

"No, silly," David shakes his head. "You're supposed to wait until you meet the right person and then wait some more, so no marriage for you until you're like, twenty-five at least."

" _What_?!" Matt exclaims. "I've met the right person already. Ne is my best friend so I'm marrying him and I already know him, so when we turn eighteen all we have to do is marry."

"Hm," David scratches his beard, looking amused. "And does Neil want to marry you?" He looks at Neil. "Do you, Neil?"

Neil is looking between David and Matt now with a panicked face. He looks at Andrew and dives towards him, hiding behind him and against the couch.

"Neil died eight years ago," Andrew says, promptly. 

Matt squeals indignantly and starts getting up as if for look for Neil behind him, but a honking sound interrupts. "Looks like your father is here, Allison." David says. She and Renee get up hand in hand and head for the door along with David after waving goodbye at them.

“I’ll escort you, lady,” Matt says, motioning for Dan.

“I live next to you, dumb-dumb.”

“Still!”

Neil doesn’t move from behind him until their voices fade and the door closes.

"Ughhhh," he groans, leaving Andrew's back and lying on the floor. "I just want to be left alone and play Exy."

"Me too," Kevin says, sullenly.

"You don't understand," Neil says, then grins at Andrew, turning so he’s lying on his stomach with his ankles crossed in the air and hands on his chin and staring at Kevin. "He's such a vacuous buffoon, right, Andrew?"

"I'm a what?"

"Oh, yes," Andrew agrees, remembering the night before where they used his dictionary until late. "Such a dim-witted, thick-headed fool." 

"What does that even _mean_?"

"Kevin, Kevin. Such a pea-brained daft." 

"You can't possibly be this obtuse, Kevin."

"I'm," Kevin begins, at loss for words but looking between confused and affronted. "Leaving."

He gets up and heads for the stairs, huffing. Neil stares for a moment then dissolves into a giggle fit.

After that, they discuss what classes they'll like best when they go to Hogwarts, but their conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door. Neil frowns and goes to the door. There's a shuffling sound and a squeal and suddenly Neil is running back, hiding behind Andrew, and he can see why.

Betsy Dobson, Bee, appears in the entryway with a quirked eyebrow. "I think I saw Neil just now?" 

"No," Andrew answers, looking at his nails. "He's dead, remember?"

"Ah, yes, how could I forget?" She taps her palm to her forehead. "Dummy."

"Mhm."

She sits at the couch and stares at Andrew for a few moments. “Do you know what I’d tell Neil right now? If he was here, of course. Which he isn’t, right?”

Andrew nods and she continues.

“I’d say he doesn’t have to be scared of me because I’d never do anything to make him feel bad. And I’d ask him why he came back at all if he really doesn’t like it.”

Andrew thinks for a moment. He doesn’t feel any real danger coming from Bee, and he’s here in case anything happens, so he turns his head to the side and whispers, “You should talk with her now,” before he can begin protesting he continues, “Just this once.”

He can feel Neil fiddling with his shirt at his back and after a few moments he sighs then crawls from his back. “Hello.”

Bee gasps, “Neil? How come you’re here?”

“I lied,” he says, looking sheepish. “I was here all along.”

“Gosh, that is so surprising!” She exclaims with a smile on her face. Andrew feels smug, he really is good at protecting.

“I…” Neil begins, then stops. 

“Why don’t you sit on the couch? That way I don’t have to look down and you don’t have to look up, yes?” She says calmly. Neil nods and slowly gets up and sits on the couch cross-legged. Andrew doesn’t, so he feels Neil’s legs behind his head. 

“I…” he starts again and sighs. “Wymack makes me go.”

“Does he make you go or does he ask and you say yes?” 

When he doesn’t answer right away, Andrew looks up at him and catches the end of his shrug. “Is there a difference?”

“Of course there is,” she says, smiling at him. “How will he know you don’t like it if you don’t say it?” 

“I don’t want to be sent away again,” he mutters and starts tugging at Andrew’s hair. A pained expression crosses Bee’s face momentarily.

“I can assure you will not be sent away, Neil. David loves you,” his hands freeze on Andrew’s hair. “You _are_ his son, just like Kevin is.”

He hums and goes back to tugging at his hair. It’s probably going to be sticking everywhere later.

“And you shouldn’t be scared of saying how you feel to David. Because he loves you, he wants you to be well and I’m sure he’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

“Okay,” he says. “Thanks.”

As if on cue, the door opens and David appears. He pauses when he arrives in the living room, looking from Bee, to Neil, then Andrew. “All good?”

“Yeah,” Neil answers. 

Bee looks at Neil and nods, when Andrew looks up at him again he catches the end of his nodding. “Alright so. Andrew, do you want me to take you home?”

He keeps looking at Neil curiously, and his friend looks down at him and nods again more surely, taking his hands off his hair. Andrew nods back and gets up, picking up his backpack from beside him on the couch. Neil starts giggling. “What?”

“Your hair is funny.”

“That’s your fault,” he scowls and starts smoothing it with his hands, walking to the door.

“Bye!” He hears Neil and David call but he doesn’t answer.

 

After a few ticks trying to fix his hair he gives up, huffing.

“Do you want help with that?” Bee asks.

Andrew thinks for a moment. It’s certainly different from having Neil’s hands on his hair, and he doesn’t know her enough, but there’s this _thing_ he’s been feeling since yesterday after meeting her. He wants to talk to her about things and he doesn’t know how to do it but that’s it, she makes him _want_ things and that’s weird.

When she was talking with Neil, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. The way she talks, it makes Andrew calm when he didn’t even realize he was agitated in the first place. He has to look in his dictionary for the right word.

He nods.

She stops in front of him and raises her hand above his head, and when he nods again, she starts smoothing it to the sides, gently. “Is it possible to have two best friends?” He asks.

“Yes, there is. Even more, so.” She tips his chin forward. “Why?”

“Matt said it’s impossible,” he says, petulantly.

“And why does he think that?”

“Because you can’t marry two people.”

“You look handsome,” she says, stepping beside him so they go back to walk. “While it is true you can’t marry two people, it doesn’t mean you can’t have two best friends.”

“How so?”

“Mhm,” she hums, then says, “there are different kinds of affection. The affection you feel for a friend is different from the affection you feel for a loved one. But your loved one can be your best friend too. It’s not liking more or less people, it’s just different feelings.”

“Well, this is confusing,” Andrew decides and Bee giggles.

“Yes, it is. But you don’t have to worry about it now, yes? You’re young.”

“Okay.”

 

The rest of the walk is Andrew talking about the sleepover he had at Neil’s and what he looks forward the most in school. When they reach his house Andrew feels like there’s more he should tell her about, but he just walks to the front door and knocks it.

Cass opens the door, beaming down at Andrew, but then she looks up and sees Bee and her smiles is gone just as fast. “Oh, hello.”

“Hello, Cass. How are you?”

“Fine.” She looks at Andrew again and smiles but now it looks weird. “Shall we, honey?” She ushers him inside, not even giving him time to turn around and wave goodbye at Bee before closing the door.

Andrew goes to the living room and Richard is nowhere in sight, so he just sits at the couch with his backpack and kicks the air. He wanted to say goodbye to Bee.

He hears a loud exhale and Cass appears in the living room, with that weird smile again. “Did you have fun?” 

“Yes.”

She comes up in front of him and sits at the small table, so now they’re at the same eye-level. “How come you know that woman?” 

“I met Bee yesterday. She was there when I arrived.”

“Bee?”

“Yeah. Her name is Betsy and I called her Bee and she liked it.”

“I know her name.”

“Oh.”

Andrew feels weird. It’s a bad-weird. His stomach is doing things and he feels like he’s about to start sweating. He doesn’t like it, this is isn’t the Cass he knows and he doesn’t like it.

“Andrew,” her smile is gone and her hands are on his knees. “Did they ask anything about your brother?”

“My brother?”

“Drake.”  
He was about to start saying no, but then he remembers David’s weird questioning. “Bee didn’t. David did.” 

Her eyebrows twitch and now she’s frowning. “What did he ask?” 

“He asked if I met anyone in the family apart from you and Richard,” Andrew answers.

“And what did you say?” when he hesitates, her hands move from his knee to his arms, squeezing and shaking slightly. “Andrew, _what did you say_?” Her voice sounds more urgent now.

“I s-said you mentioned a son but that he’s not c-coming until late this year.” He’s shaking now, he really doesn’t like this Cass.

“Andrew, listen to me, okay?” She was squeezing harder now and Andrew sniffs, nodding. He was scared of this Cass. “Don’t believe anything they say about Drake, alright? They’re lying, all of them are liars and you can’t believe them. Drake is my son and he is a good man.” 

“Okay.”

“And you shouldn’t talk with them anymore. Sorry, you’re gonna have to make another friends.”

Andrew is crying now, but Cass just stares at him, waiting. “Okay.”

She stares at him for a few more seconds, then nods and stands up. “Have you eaten?” He nods and she says okay and heads for the kitchen.

Andrew sniffs again and picks his backpack, climbing the stairs and going to his room. He closes the door behind him and goes to the bed, sitting on it cross-legged.

He can’t remember the last time he cried and he hates that he can’t stop now. He’s a grown boy and he wasn’t supposed to be crying anymore. He didn’t want to stop talking with Neil, Kevin, and the others. He didn’t want to stop visiting them and he met Bee yesterday, he didn’t want to stop talking with her, too.

He opens his backpack and picks up his dictionary, remembering when he and Neil had fun looking through it for words to throw at Kevin.

He lets his head fall to his pillow and feels the tears crossing his nose, soaking his pillow. At some point he falls asleep hugging his dictionary close to his chest.

________________________________

The next few days are spent in a haze, he almost never leaves the house, and instead he stays in his room or in the living room watching cartoons. Cass talks with him the same way she used before, and once he wondered if maybe he dreamt everything that happened, but the handprints on his arms say otherwise.

Suddenly it’s Sunday again, Cass and Richard went out to the market. She said it wouldn’t take too long and that he’s to behave like a good boy, so there he is, sitting at the couch watching cartoons and kicking the air.

There’s a knock on the door and a shuffling sound. Andrew waits a few ticks with a frown on his face. Who could it be?

He goes to the door and sees there’s a letter on the floor with a trembled ‘Andrew’ written on it. 

He picks up the letter and goes back to the couch, opening it slowly so the paper doesn’t rip, inside it’s written on trembled words:

Andrew,  
It is Neil  
Are you angry with me?  
I’m sorry for pulling your hair  
I was nervous  
I’m sorry  
I like you and miss you  
XOXO

Andrew feels bad. Neil thinks he’s upset with him because he tugged at his hair last week. How could he let him know it’s not that?

Tomorrow it’s his first day at school, and he was looking forward to it because it means he can see Kevin. Neil isn’t at school yet, but Andrew can write back to him and tell Kevin to deliver it to him.

He goes to his room, searching his already ready backpack for a paper and a pencil. He sits on the floor and starts writing.

Neil,  
I am not angry with you  
It was okay  
It is not that  
I am sorry too  
I like you and miss you too  
What does XOXO mean?  
Bye 

He tries to fold it inside the other paper like Neil did, but it’s hard. It’s not the same, and he uses glue to stick it together rather than a stamp like Neil did, but that way Kevin won’t read it without them knowing. He hides it in his backpack inside his cloth.

“Andrew? We’re home!” Cass exclaims from downstairs. He zips his backpack and goes downstairs. “We bought you your favorite ice cream, sweetheart.” She says when she sees him in the kitchen entryway. “Do you want it now?” He nods.

She picks up two mugs and puts the chocolate ice cream inside both, offering one to Andrew with the spoon and stays with the other. 

“Are you excited about school tomorrow?” She asks as Richard puts the groceries away. 

“Yes.”

“Now there’s your chance to make new friends, right? You won’t even remember the old, boring ones.” Andrew stuffs his mouth with ice cream so he doesn’t have to answer.

“Mhm.”

“Oh yes, I almost forgot! I talked with your case worker, Andrea.” Cass pauses the nibbling to look at him. “She’s coming here next week to take a look at the house and the environment you’re situated.” 

“Okay.”

“After that I’ll be judged admissible and I’ll be able to put in the request for the adoption, it shouldn’t take much, and after I sign the papers you’ll be finally Andrew Spear. Isn’t that good?” 

It might’ve been, once. But now he just feel that weird bad thing in his stomach again. “Yes.”

He felt bad—he wanted it to work out. He hated the way he was feeling now, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. He liked Cass, he really did. He wanted to be with her because otherwise he didn’t know if anyone would ever like him like she did.

He messed everything up as usual, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, he should’ve stayed at home, and he shouldn’t have gone to Kevin that day. That way Cass wouldn’t have been upset that day and Andrew would be happy now.

He couldn’t do one thing right. Stupid, stupid Andrew.  


________________________________

“This is Andrew, everyone say ‘welcome, Andrew!’” 

“Welcome, Andrew!” The kids answer.

His teacher’s name is Carol and she talks a lot, Andrew noticed.

“Sit wherever you like, there are plenty of spaces, okay?” She pats his head.

The classroom is very colourful, there were three circular desks with six chairs in the middle of the room and three others normal desks with four chairs. 

“Andrew, here!” a familiar voice says and when he looks he sees that it’s Kevin and Matt sitting at one of the four-seat desks.

“Oh, you know Kevin and Matt already? That is nice, then!” Carol says and ushers him to their desk.

“Hey,” Andrew says, sitting down.

“What happened? You haven’t visited this week, everyone asked for you.” Before he could answer Kevin continues, “Are you mad at Neil? He says you are. Did you get the letter? Dad helped him write it. I didn’t know if you were ever going to come to school so he and I went to your place to send it through the door. Did you get it? I think-”

“Shut up,” Kevin shuts up. “I did get it. I am not mad at him.” He opens his backpack and retrieves the letter. “Give this to him. Don’t read it.”

“Okay.” 

“But why haven’t you visited?” Matt asks.

“I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Cass said I couldn’t see you and Neil and Bee and everyone anymore.”

“Well, this is weird.”

“It is. I think it is because David asked about Drake.”

“My dad? Drake? Who’s that?” Kevin asks.

“Cass’ older son.” Kevin is silent for a few moments, and when Andrew looks at him he’s chewing his lips. “What?”

“Dad told me about him. That I shouldn’t talk with him if I ever see him. How could I do that if I don’t even know what he looks like?” Kevin shakes his head. “Dad says he’s bad.”

“Coach told me that too,” Matt says.

“Cass says David is lying and that he’s a good man.”

They all look at each other for a few moments and then, “Huh.” at the same time.

“Alright, kids! Let’s begin our day, shall we?” Carol exclaims, clapping her hands together. 

The day begins.

 

At lunch, they talk about what happened through the week. “We couldn’t do much because Neil is upset, he didn’t even want to play Exy.” Kevin frowns.

“Well he is stupid.” 

“Does your mom know we study here too?” Matt asks.

If before Andrew felt happy about referring to Cass as his mother, now he just feels weird. “I don’t know.”

“Why do you think Coach said her other son is bad?”

“I don’t know,” he looks at Kevin. “What did he tell you?”

“I don’t remember much, it was during Halloween because he was here, but I never saw him. We weren’t allowed to go to the other side of the street,” he says. “He told me if a Drake talks with me I shouldn’t answer and instead I should go back home because he’s bad.”

“Yeah, he told all of us that,” Matt says. “Police was there!”

“Police?” Andrew asks. Now _that_ is weird.

“Yes,” Kevin says. “The day after Halloween I saw Betsy with a police man, and when I asked Dad about it he said they were trying to make the bad man go away.”

“Oh.” 

Andrew doesn’t know what to think. Bee thinks Drake is a bad man too and he doesn’t think she’s a liar. But Cass said he isn’t and she is the closest thing to a mother he ever had. He sighs, flops his head on the table and close his eyes. 

“Hey, Andrew,” Matt calls. “Look at this drawing I made of the Sorting Hat!”

“It sucks,” Andrew says without opening his eyes and Kevin snickers.

“You didn’t even look at it!”

Andrew opens his eyes, the drawing is really good. “It sucks.”

“Now you’re just being mean,” Matt pouts.  


________________________________

“How was your first day at school, honey?” Cass asks. They’re in the living room, Andrew had just showered and they’re waiting for dinner, today is Richard’s day at cooking.

Richard picked him up and luckily he didn’t see Kevin or Matt. They made a plan to sneak out while the other kids are leaving too so she wouldn’t see them. It was kind of hard because they’re both very tall, but it worked.

“Good,” Andrew answers. It really was, they used paint and Andrew made an enormous dinosaur with Kevin and Matt. 

“Did you make any friends?”

“Yes,” he hated lying, but he didn’t know what Cass would do if she finds out he didn’t make friends and talked with Kevin and Matt only. 

“See! I told you. School is the fastest way to make friends,” she pats his head and goes to the kitchen to help Richard.  


________________________________

When David opened the door, Neil was already standing in the corridor. “Did you see Andrew?” He asks Kevin, not even saying hello.

“Yeah, we’re in the same class,” Kevin says, smugly.

“Can we go in or what?” David asks and they all get properly inside. 

Abby and Betsy are sitting on the couch watching the news and they smile when they see David. He still can’t believe he found someone as good as Abby for someone as bad as him, but life is crazy like that. He kisses her cheek and sits beside Betsy, while Kevin sits on the floor and fishes a letter from his backpack.

“He made you this,” he gives Neil the letter.

Neil sits on the couch between him and Betsy and opens it slowly, trying not to rip it open. 

Neil,  
I am not angry with you  
It was okay  
It is not that  
I am sorry too  
I like you and miss you too  
What does XOXO mean?  
Bye

By the end of it David is smiling, he swears to God one day he’ll die because of these kids. “See? I told you he wasn’t angry with you.”

Neil is beaming, he folds the letter again and tucks it to his chest, sighing. “Good.”

“But why doesn’t he come here anymore, then?” Betsy asks. David was about to ask the same thing.

“His mother won’t let him,” Kevin says with a frown. “It’s your fault, Dad.”

“What? Mine?” David asks. 

“Yeah, Andrew said it’s because you asked about that Drake to him. His mom found out.”

Shit.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, he said she called you liars and that he is a good man and now she won’t let Andrew see us.”

“But-!” Neil begins, but David raises his hand. 

“Alright, alright. Listen, why don’t you kids go upstairs? Neil, are you going to write back to Andrew?” Neil nods. “Alright, help him with that, Kevs.” He waits until they’re out of earshot, then exhales. “ _Fuck_.”

“Hey, now. It’s okay,” Abby rubs his back.

“She wasn’t very happy to see me with Andrew,” Betsy says. “I should’ve thought about it at the time, I was too excited to know more about Andrew. He’s such a sweet and smart child.”

“It’s not your fault, Betsy,” Abby says. “Nor yours, David. If anything, Cass shouldn’t be protecting that monster of a son of hers.”

“That scumbag piece of shit,” David growls. “I can’t believe they let her adopt another child, after everything we’ve done to stop that. Andrew told me that asshole is coming back this year, I won’t let him lay a finger on him.”

“I’m gonna call officer Higgins to know if he’s aware of the situation. He looked pretty invested in trying to catch the right person, but they were investigating the wrong man.”

“Richard,” David scoffs. “As if, that man is a square.”

“Hush, you.” Abby chides. “Betsy, how is it going with your process?” 

“Hm? Oh!” She smiles. “My request was approved, I forgot to mention. I’m eligible for adopting now.” 

“That’s amazing!” Abby beams. “Do you plan on adopting soon?”

“Yes, it is! I don’t know… actually, I have been thinking about something.”

“What is it?” David asks.

“When Drake is finally behind bars, Cass is going to lose her custody of Andrew, and he’s going back to the system. I was thinking about taking him in,” Betsy says. “He’s such a sweet kid, I don’t want him to lose himself and that innocence he still has.”

“Betsy that’s—that’s great! Oh my god, we should’ve talked about this sooner!”

“I agree,” David says. “You and Andrew clicked very well, didn’t you?” Betsy nods with a smile. “He’s a special kid, Andrew. A brat, but a good one. He really likes Neil and Neil likes him back. I was getting worried about Neil not being able to connect with anyone but I’m glad he did and I’m glad it was Andrew.”

“Me too. Before you arrived he was telling us how Andrew promised him he’d protect him from now on. Pinky promise and all,” Abby chuckles.

“We are going to take Andrew from that house,” David says. “And place him under your care, Betsy. That kid is going to have a fucking good childhood and I’ll make sure of it, I won’t let that family ruin any more children. That is a promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> picture: wymack lying down beside neil on the living room helping him write an apology letter to andrew with his chubby hand and trembled words. his tongue poking out trying to make it right and asking wymack help on how to spell 'like' correctly........ my heart.....
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> omg bee!!!!! just barge into the house and take andrew already he deserves all the love  
> is 'neil died eight year ago' going to be an ongoing thing? absolutely
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> thank you for all the kind comments on last chapter! i read all of them a dozen of times already including to my mom, she loves all of u very much too!
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> [tumblr](http://adrwmnyrd.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> so, let me know what you think so far?  
> hmmm i have this hc that andrew keeps a dictionary under his pillow so he doesn't have to ask what certain words means and that he learns some difficult words himself at a young age just to brag jfdhsgjhsdh
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> [my tumblr](http://adrwmnyrd.tumblr.com)


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